Speaker raises the limits

When Melissa Mark-Viverito was raising money for her successful City Council speaker bid in late 2013, she voluntarily imposed a donation cap for contributions: $3,850. That is the limit for politicians seeking the office of borough president in New York City. Yet in recent months, Ms. Mark-Viverito has begun accepting up to $4,950, the maximum amount for a run for citywide office.

A source with knowledge of Ms. Mark-Viverito's fundraising, however, said her recent acceptance of the larger contributions should not be taken as an indication she is eyeing a citywide race. In fact, according to the source, Ms. Mark-Viverito had previously eschewed $4,950 donations because she wanted to signal that she was not seeking to run for mayor, comptroller or public advocate in 2017, but now feels comfortable that that has become clear.

What she will do, however, is anyone's guess. Term limits prevent Ms. Mark-Viverito from staying in the council beyond 2017, and all three citywide officeholders are expected to run for re-election to their current posts that year. Ms. Mark-Viverito represents a district covering both Manhattan and the Bronx, but the presidents of those boroughs will also be able to run for re-election in 2017.

One fan of the speaker is trying to draft Ms. Mark-Viverito to run for retiring Rep. Charles Rangel's seat in 2016—but the speaker has said she has no plans to do so. —CB

New gig for election lawyer

Mayor Bill de Blasio's election lawyer has joined a new firm. Laurence Laufer, a top campaign and lobbying compliance attorney, landed at Kantor Davidoff in November with the title "of counsel," and took his famous City Hall client with him: Campaign-finance records show that Mr. de Blasio is now paying Mr. Laufer's new firm. (He previously was at Genova Burns.) Mr. Laufer confirmed that he also brought along his other previous clients, including Comptroller Scott Stringer.

Besides representing Mr. de Blasio's campaign committee, Mr. Laufer does compliance for the mayor's lobbying group, Campaign for One New York. Mr. Laufer, the former general counsel at the New York City Campaign Finance Board, helped write the city's campaign-finance regulations and represented multiple clients in the 2013 mayoral election. —CB

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